TRUMBULL -- While many state and municipal governments can't -- or purposely fail to -- fully bankroll current and unfunded pension obligations, Trumbull's chief elected officer is confident enough about his town's finances to request that funding be mandatory.

"We need to put a provision into the charter that says the town of Trumbull must fund its pensions at the annual required contribution, the ARC," said First Selectman Tim Herbst. "I firmly believe that to protect the long-term fiscal health of the town of Trumbull, this provision needs to be included."

Herbst, who is considering a run for state treasurer, said he wants to ensure that the ARC is met no matter what political party has control of the first selectman's office or Town Council.

"As I said to the Town Council, this is not about politics, it's about math," he said.

But in many municipalities, the money is just not available to fully fund municipal pension plans. In 2011, for example, the state Legislature passed a bill that allowed Bridgeport to drop its pension allotment from $20 million to $7 million because it could not afford the higher payment.

The law allows the city's payments to be recalculated each year, using a 5 percent rate of growth.

State lawmakers have traditionally delayed state pension payments in tough budget years. In fact, just four years ago, Trumbull's pension fund was not as stable as it now is.

Herbst said pension contributions have increased 92 percent in the last four years and the town now funds its pension at 33 percent, up from 27 percent in 2009.

As a result, its unfunded liabilities have dropped from $54 million to roughly $40 million, according to Town Treasurer John Ponzio.

The town has negotiated new labor agreements that place all new employees in a defined contribution plan, instead of a traditional pension plan. Other municipalities, like Fairfield, have made similar changes in recent years.

Joseph J. McGee, vice president of public policy for the Business Council of Fairfield County, said it's rare to see municipal leaders add this type of mandate to a charter.

"That's interesting. Good for him," he said. "In the context of Connecticut where we have underfunded pensions so significantly, I understand his motivation. It's nice to see a municipal leader set a standard that the state of Connecticut should follow."

Elizabeth Kellar, president of the Center for State and Local Government Excellence, found Herbst's action commendable.

"It's a reminder of the importance of it," she said. "I think it's a good idea to have at least an ordinance."

According to a June 2013 report issued by the center, only 5.6 percent of pension plans it surveyed throughout the nation were 100 percent funded, Kellar said.

Still, McGee said his only concern was the mandate would make the budget-setting process less flexible.

"When you do it by charter it becomes very rigid," he said.

Herbst said he understands those concerns -- also raised by Town Council member Vicki Tesoro -- and would like to see the charter commission take up an exemption to the rule. He suggested allowing the council to override this charter requirement with a two-thirds majority in case of a catastrophic event.

"While an interesting idea, I think it is bad practice to make such mandates," said Tesoro, a Democrat, "because they reduce flexibility of future first selectmen to manage town finances. I think this is why I know of no other community with mandatory language of this type."

Tesoro noted the charter was last opened for revision just a few years ago, in 2011. That process was dogged by concerns and accusations of errors and partisanship, with the majority of the six-member panel made up of Republicans.

Town Council member Michael London said past charter revisions have been very divisive processes.

"In recent years, Trumbull changed past practice and now funds pensions at proper levels," said London, a Republican. "A charter change to require such continued adequate funding, in my opinion, was not necessary."

But Herbst said he wants an expedited 90-day process, not the 16-month timeframe afforded to the last charter revision commission. He would like to see the question on November's ballot.

"I don't want this to turn into what it did two years ago," Herbst said. "I don't think we need a wholesale change to the charter."

But placing the mandate in the charter, the first selectman said, could boost Trumbull's bond rating up a notch to the highest rating possible, AAA.

"Somebody could come after me and say this is not a priority; we're not going to fund the ARC," Herbst said. "This is going to make sure we honor our commitment to retirees."